Prague, March 7 (RFE/RL) -- Russian President Boris
Yeltsin and his chief advisers gathered in Moscow today to discuss
once again what to do in Chechnya. But as Yeltsin's Security Council
discussed policy options, Russian troops remained pinned down in the
Chechen capital, trying to repel the fiercest rebel offensive Grozny
has seen in a year.

In the latest humiliation to Yeltsin and the administration of Doku
Zavgayev he installed in Chechnya, hundreds of separatist fighters
launched a full-scale attack on Grozny yesterday -- machine-gunning
their way into the city from the north, west and south. The dawn
offensive by fighters loyal to separatist leader Dzhokhar Dudayev
appeared to have caught Russian forces by surprise. The vastly
outnumbered separatists, numbering up to 1,000, managed to seize
several southern suburbs and advance toward the city center, where
battles are raging today. Dudayev, who tops Moscow's most-wanted
list, even managed to interrupt broadcasts of Russian public
television. He taunted the authorities on air, announcing that
"Grozny will be taken" and that there would be "no mercy for Chechen
traitors."

At the close of today's Security Council meeting in Moscow, Yeltsin
told reporters that Russian forces had succeeded in driving out
Chechen fighters. He said Grozny had been "cleared" of separatists.
But as Yeltsin spoke, news agencies quoted Interior Ministry
officials in Grozny, who said battles continued to rage in the center
of the city. It was reported that virtually every Russian police
checkpoint had been surrounded by separatists, who were firing
automatic weapons and mortar shells just 100 meters from the
Moscow-backed administration's nearly deserted headquarters.
The contrast between the situation on the ground and Yeltsin's bland
reassurances was stark. And it cast grave doubts on Yeltsin's
announcement that the Security Council had agreed to a plan to end
the 15-month Chechen war. Details of the plan were not divulged.

The man responsible for the Chechen operation, Russian Defense
Minister Pavel Grachev, did little to dispel the impression that the
Yeltsin administration is either totally out of touch or trying its
own brand of "spin control." Grachev continued to insist that the raging battle for
Grozny was "nothing special." Yesterday, as his own security
officials warned from Grozny that the situation was becoming
"critical," Grachev said everything was "under control." He added
that the panic was caused by "five to six rebels firing in three or
four districts."

Hinting at what may lie ahead for Grachev, Yeltsin's campaign
manager, First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Soskovets, said Chechnya
was the Russian president's "heaviest burden" and the greatest threat
to his re-election bid. Soskovets also said that more and more people
were advising Yeltsin to assign blame for the failed Chechen
campaign.

In the run-up to the June presidential election, Yeltsin has rid
himself of nearly all the politicans on his team who propelled him to
power. Along with a slew of middle-level officials, they have been
made responsible for most failures in economic and social reforms.
But firing Grachev will not end the war in Chechnya -- nor will it
absolve Yeltsin of responsibility for starting the bloody conflict.

A month ago, as he kicked off his re-election campaign, Yeltsin said
he had made some mistakes. He added, "maybe Chechnya was one of
them." Just how big a mistake may only become clear after the June
elections.